Advent | Meet Him At The Manger by Stuart and Jill BriscoeSample

A Diligent Search

"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. (Matthew 2:2-3)

Imagine arriving at your destination after two long years of travel, only to have things fall apart. That's what happened when the magi came to King Herod asking about the "one who has been born king of the Jews."

Herod was frightened and called together the wise men of Jerusalem to find out where the Messiah was to be born. He then secretly met with the magi under the pretense of sharing their concern for the search. He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him" (Matthew 2:8). But Herod had no such intentions. He was a paranoid, power-hungry murderer. He had no qualms about killing members of his own family. What he really wanted was to exterminate the possibility of this new king’s arrival.

The wise men went to the right place and asked the right questions, but they were probably disappointed with the answer: "He's not here." But they didn't relent. They had come this far, and they weren't giving up now.

I wonder how easily you've been put off in your search. It's interesting to hear the reasons people give for ending their search. One person says they went to church, but because they couldn't understand the sermon, they didn't go back again. Or another person says they heard about someone's uncle who ran off with the worship director, and that's reason enough not to go to any church anywhere.

If we're serious about searching for God, we won't let anything get in our way. A genuine quest for God involves a lot of looking, reading, listening, and praying. If we're diligent in our search and ask honest questions, God will reveal Himself to us, regardless of where we're coming from. 

Dear God, I've been searching for answers. I believe You sent Your Son into the world to bring glorious gifts of joy and meaning to people like me. It's hard to imagine such grace on my behalf, but you are a God of unbounded resources and unshakable plans. And so, Lord Jesus, I ask you to come into my life and establish your throne. I'm excited about the possibilities because there is no end to Your power and love. Thank You for what You will do. Amen.